1. Field of the Invention
The present application generally relates to surgical devices and methods of use, specifically those involving nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF).
2. Description of the Related Art
Melanoma affecting the skin is one of the top six cancers in the United States, and its rate is rising in some populations. Ultraviolet radiation from sun exposure is a leading cause of such skin cancer. Cutaneous melanoma causes a skin tumor or other lesion, which is normally treated by surgical removal.
Surgical excision of a tumor can result in an infection and leave a scar. Furthermore, if there are more tumors, every cancerous tumor should be identified and individually excised by a surgeon. This can be time consuming and expensive, not to mention uncomfortable for patients.
Cancerous tumors that are internal to a patient may be especially difficult to remove, let alone detect and treat. Many patients' lives are turned upside down by the discovery of cancer in their bodies, sometimes which have formed relatively large tumors before being detected.
A “nanosecond pulsed electric field,” sometimes abbreviated as nsPEF, includes an electric field with a pulse width of between 0.1 nanoseconds (ns) to 1000 nanoseconds, or as otherwise known in the art. It is sometimes referred to as sub-microsecond pulsed electric field. NsPEFs often have high peak voltages, such as 10 kilovolts per centimeter (kV/cm), 20 kV/cm, to 500 kV/cm. Treatment of biological cells with nsPEF often uses a multitude of periodic pulses at a frequency ranging from 0.1 per second (Hz) to 10,000 Hz.
NsPEFs have been found to trigger both necrosis and apoptosis in cancerous tumors. Selective treatment of such tumors with nsPEFs can induce apoptosis within the tumor cells without substantially affecting normal cells in the surrounding tissue due to its non-thermal nature.
An example of nsPEF applied to biological cells is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,177 (to Schoenbach et al.), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
The use of nsPEF for the treatment of tumors is a relatively new field. There exists a need in the art for the safe and effective treatment of cancer in human subjects.